The extension of Madrid Metro Line 11 towards the south has encountered an unexpected obstacle that could significantly alter the project. A negative report issued by the Ministry of Defense has put the planned extension between La Fortuna and Cuatro Vientos on hold. This situation compels the Community of Madrid to reconsider an undertaking that, in the medium term, could have direct repercussions for municipalities like Alcorcón.
This setback affects a line intended to be a key transversal connection in the Madrid network. The Community's objective is for Line 11 to evolve from a peripheral line into a "diagonal" connecting the southwest and northeast of the region without passing through central Madrid. However, plans for the southern section have suffered a significant blow after Defense concluded that the proposed route interferes with its facilities in the Cuatro Vientos area.
The original proposal by the Community of Madrid included the construction of a tunnel over two kilometers long between La Fortuna station (Leganés) and Cuatro Vientos station (Line 10). This action would have connected both infrastructures and opened the door for future extensions in the southwest of Madrid. Nevertheless, the selected route ran under the historic Cuatro Vientos aerodrome, a military and civil facility whose importance led the Ministry of Defense to issue an unfavorable report. Although the exact content of the document is confidential, the conclusion conveyed is clear: the extension affects National Defense, forcing the search for alternatives.
Given this circumstance, the Consejería de Transportes has extended the deadline for drafting the construction project by eight months. The aim is to gain sufficient time to analyze potential alternatives that can overcome the obstacle posed by Defense. Sources from the department acknowledge the decisive relevance of the report received and the infeasibility of the extension to Cuatro Vientos as initially designed. This also impacts other subsequent developments, such as a possible extension towards the Las Águilas neighborhood.
Although the project did not officially include stations in Alcorcón, this unfavorable report opens a new, potentially interesting scenario for the municipality. La Fortuna station is located very close to Alcorcón's municipal boundary and near Metro Line 10 and MetroSur. If the corridor towards Cuatro Vientos is discarded or substantially modified, technicians will need to study new solutions to connect Line 11 with the transport network. Hypotheses leveraging existing railway corridors or connections closer to Alcorcón could gain prominence, reopening the demand for improved direct connections to the main Metro lines without passing through the city center.
In this context, the Puerta del Sur station, a major interchange where Line 10 and Line 12 (MetroSur) converge, emerges as a possible alternative. Any significant modification to the initially planned route could reignite the debate on how to strengthen connections in this area with the future transversal Metro line. However, the Community insists it is still too early to discuss concrete solutions, and the process is in the technical study phase.
Line 11 is one of the Community of Madrid's major investment priorities. The ongoing works aim to transform it into a strategic axis connecting neighborhoods, municipalities, and transport hubs across the region. Therefore, any modification to its expansion plans has far-reaching repercussions. The blockage at Cuatro Vientos does not mean the extension will be canceled, but it does necessitate a rethinking of a significant part of the strategy designed so far, potentially granting greater relevance to municipalities in the metropolitan south like Alcorcón.
